Mike Mulligan: A New Generation
by SoaringGryphonProductions
Summary: It's the 1970s. Mike Mulligan is an old man. His days with Mary-Anne are long over, another adventure began with his daughter Molly and her Cable Shovel 'Lana'. These are her adventures with a cable shovel she saved. 'Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel' belong to Virginia Lee Burton.
1. Chapter 1

**Mike Mulligan: A New Generation**

 **Part 1: 'Lana'**

The saying goes that all good things must come to an end. Yet where one adventure ends, another begins. In the years after the cellar for the new town hall in Popperville was completed, Mike Mulligan had a daughter by the name of Molly. She had grown up listening to the stories and adventures her father had with his steam shovel Mary Anne.

The years passed, and Molly grew up and ventured out on her own. Soon she was at the age of when her father and Mary Anne were in their prime. This was a time when the days of the steam shovel were long over, but Molly wanted to keep the spirit alive. Her chance came when she passed by the town scrapyard when something caught her eye.

The town scrapyard was owned by Mr. Beasley, known by many as the town grump. He caught her eyeing an old cable shovel brought in from a faraway coal mine not too long ago, "Why're you eyeing that pile of scrap? The ol' girl had her time, look around you, she ain't gonna be useful to no one," Mr. Beasley grunted. Molly then got an idea

"I'll make her useful, I'll buy her off you," said Molly

"No you won't, girly! I'll get a lotta money off her steel, you're just like your ol' man, stuck in the past," Mr. Beasley laughed,

"I refuse to believe that," Molly replied, standing her ground, "like I said, I will buy her off you, and you're not going to stop me,"

"You got moxie, Molls, I'll give yah that," Mr. Beasley soon got an idea, "I'll tell yah what, I'll give yah a week to fix 'er up, if you can do that, she's yours,"

"And if I fail?" she questioned, Mr. Beasley chuckled,

"Then you pack your things and get outta town, that might do you some good if yah ask me," he replied,

Molly shook Mr. Beasley's oily hand. Where her father had to dig a cellar in a day, she had to fix a cable shovel in a week. She explained the deal she made with Mr. Beasley, "You truly are my daughter, I've told you before, don't ever let anyone tell you can't do something, not even me, will you help me up? I'd like to see her," Mike asked of Molly

Mike Mulligan was now an old man with a cane. Molly helped her father to the yard. Each day she came to the yard, Molly would fix a new part. Molly started with the engine, and got it to run like new. Today, she had spent the day cleaning and oiling the tracks. Mike saw the cable shovel. He was amazed, "She's beautiful, Molly, what's her name?"

"Lana," Molly replied, the cable shovel seemed to like the name. She was thankful that Molly is going to give her a second chance when others had given up. The coal mine had started using the new hydraulic shovels. Lana nudged Molly with her bucket. Molly gave her a hug, "don't worry, Lana, I'll get you up and digging again."

The days went by, and Mr. Beasley could feel Lana slipping away from his oily hands, "Well, Molls, yah did it, yah proved me wrong,"

"I've seen yah work day and night on her, yah fixed everything on 'er dat there's tah fix, she's yours," He said in defeat,

The moment of truth came, and with Molly at the controls, Lana started moving. Black smoke puffed from her exhaust pipe, and her tracks creaked and squeaked like a chorus of a thousand mice, "Yah be careful out there, them new-fangled hydraulic shovels mean business," said Mr. Beasley, for the first time in a very long time, he smiled.

Molly lived in a house on a hill not far from Popperville so she can take care of her father. When she came to her house, Molly and Lana dug a path on the side of the hill. That was her new home. From their first dig, a strong bond formed. Molly loved Lana, and Lana loved Molly. They were inseparable just like her father and Mary-Anne.

Before going to bed, Molly looked out her window and saw Lana. She smiled at her. Leigh-Ann opened her bucket to smile back. Molly saved her from being scrapped, "You're beautiful Lana, I'm not going to let anyone put us down, you and I are going to have great adventures," she said, before turning off the lights and going to bed.

 **(This is the end of Part 1. Now Lana is a 1961 Lima 1200. I hope you enjoyed this first part. The second will be coming very soon. So stay tuned!)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Mike Mulligan: A New Generation**

 **Part 2: 'The Big Dig'**

Lana is a different kind of shovel. She is a diesel shovel. She is bigger than Mary Anne. She wanted to follow in her tracks just like Molly followed in the footsteps of Mike Mulligan. Molly told Lana stories of her father's adventures with Mary Anne. She wanted her own adventures, and with Molly Mulligan at her controls she made it happen.

It was Molly Mulligan and Lana and some others who dug the reservoirs to bring water to nearby towns. It was Molly Mulligan and Lana and some others who dug cellars for new houses and schools. Molly took great care of Lana as Mike Mulligan did for Mary Anne. One day, everything changed when the hydraulic shovels arrived.

They took all the jobs away from the cable shovels. Many were left to rust away in the mines, or were sold for scrap metal. Molly Mulligan would never let anything happen to Lana. No matter where they went they were turned down. Molly Mulligan and Leigh-Ann were laughed out of the city. Molly saw her father and Mary Anne in Popperville.

"You can't give up just like that," said Mike sitting in his chair and smoking his pipe, "you saved Lana from being scrapped, that's gotta count for something,"

Molly smiled to her father in a rather thankful way, "Mr. Beasley warned me about these new shovels, they're bigger and stronger...that won't stop me...or Lana,"

Mary Anne nudged Molly with her bucket with a smile, "That's my girl, you're a Mulligan after all," said Mike and gave his daughter a hug, and ruffled her short hair.

Days turned to weeks, and weeks turned into months. Nothing came up. Then while reading the morning paper, Molly saw that a new high school was going to be built in the city of Watertown, "We're going to dig the cellar for the school," Molly said to Lana who smiled brightly and nodded. Molly gave Lana's bucket and hug and kiss.

The problem is that Watertown was very far away. Molly knew someone who can help them get to Watertown. So she picked up the phone and dialed the number of a friend, "Hello Johnny? It's Molly, I was wondering if Lana and I can borrow your father's truck and trailer? We're going to Watertown," she said, he obliged to her request.

Johnny Dowell is a dump truck driver that worked with Molly Mulligan and Lana on many a work site. His father was also a truck driver, and a good friend to Mike Mulligan, and knew Mary Anne very well, "I take it you saw that ad in the paper?" said Johnny giving both Molly Mulligan and Lana a hug, "it's good to see you getting by,"

Johnny brought his father's truck, Penny to help them, "You too Lana, you always seem to be looking your best" He said to her, "alright let's get her onto the trailer,"

Mike Mulligan came out of the town hall and watched as Lana crawled slowly on her tracks onto the truck trailer, "We didn't have those back in my day," said Mike,

"Anything helps to get the job done Mr. Mulligan," said Johnny, once Lana was secured to the trailer, it was time to leave, "you ready Molly?" he asked her,

She nodded to him. Mike Mulligan hugged his daughter, "Give it all you got, Molly," he said with a hand on her shoulder. They left the quiet countryside of Popperville, and were out on the highway to the larger city of Watertown. When they arrived, Molly Mulligan, Lana, and Johnny were shocked to see a hydraulic shovel. They arrived too late.

The selectmen were surprised to see to see another shovel, a cable shovel, answering the call. The driver of the hydraulic shovel was named Maria Stockton, and her shovel was named Katrina, "You and that hunk of scrap best hit the road to wherever it is you came from, I got this here job, and there's nothing you can do about it," she taunted,

Molly Mulligan was not one to back down. Especially around Lana, "I got a better idea, a challenge," Molly Mulligan proposed to Maria, the selectmen murmured and whispered amongst each other, "I've got Lana, and she's got a three cubic yard bucket, if I can best you in digging out the cellar, then the money they're paying you is ours,"

"Are you sure about this? That's a hydraulic shovel you're up against," warned Johnny Dowell,

"I know," Molly Mulligan replied, "but I know if there is anyone that can stand tall among the shovels, it's Lana,"

Maria Stockton smiled at Molly in rather a mean way before shaking Molly's hand, "You best get your shovel off the trailer, because you got yourself a deal,"

 **(Note: 'Katrina' is a Caterpillar 245 Front Shovel, and 'Penny' is a Peterbilt 358)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Mike Mulligan: A New Generation**

 **Part 3: 'Do Unto Others'**

The next morning, the shovels were ready. The selectmen decided on the challenge between the two shovels. One of the selectmen was the town constable, and presented them with their challenge, "This is a competition of not only one of speed, but power, you'll each be given a dump truck to fill, the one with the highest mound of dirt, wins,"

"You have until sundown," the constable said, when the dump trucks were ready, and with the sound of his pistol the competition began,

Maria Stockton and Molly Mulligan got to work. The engines rumbled. Lana dug her bucket, and carved her teeth into the dirt. She lifted her dipper stick with a bucket full of dirt, and dumped it into a dump truck. The strategy is simple: crowd, hoist, swing, stop. Molly Mulligan was at her controls. Maria Stockton was not giving up so easily.

Katrina extended her bucket out, and pulled up with a bucket full of dirt. Maria Stockton smiled at Molly Mulligan in a mean way, "Give it up, girly! You ain't gonna win!"

But Molly Mulligan did not pay attention to Maria Stockton's bullying. The day dragged on, and people from miles around came to see the shovels dig. Mike Mulligan came all the way from Popperville to cheer his daughter on, "If Mary Anne could be here, she'd be so proud," said Mike Mulligan, "Go Molly! You can do it, Lana!" he cheered

Lana and Katrina were neck-and-neck as they carved out the cellar of the school. The further they dug, and harder and tougher the rock and dirt became. Suddenly, there came a 'snap!' and a 'clank!'. Molly Mulligan and Lana stopped digging to find that Katrina broke a piston. The boulder she tried to dig out proved too much for her.

"You won, Molly Mulligan, you won Lana, we can't dig anymore," Maria Stockton sobbed,

"It's not sundown yet," said Molly looking up at the sky, she looked over at Maria Stockton and her shovel Katrina. They were very sad.

The cellar was almost done, and the two mounds of dirt were the same height. The massive boulder was the only thing that needed to go in order for the cellar to be finished. Molly Mulligan and Lana knew the boulder was too heavy for them too. Just then, Molly Mulligan got an idea and went up to Maria Stockton, "Maria, get in your shovel,"

"You won Molly Mulligan, fair and square, just take the money and go," Maria Stockton said, wiping her tears,

"I can't do that," Molly Mulligan replied, Maria Stockton was surprised, "I can't dig that boulder out of there by myself, and neither can Lana, I need your help,"

"Don't you get it?!" Maria Stockton cried, and sniffled grabbing Molly's shirt, "I can't help you, I can't help Katrina, I can't help anyone now!"

Molly Mulligan pulled up her blue jeans, and put a hand on her hip. Her other hand she offered out to Maria Stockton, "Yes you can," said Molly Mulligan, "I can dig around the boulder to loosen it, you may not be able to dig, but we can lift it out, I'm asking you Maria Stockton, I'm asking you Katrina, I need you to help me, you can help Lana"

For the first time since the competition began, Maria Stockton smiled in a thankful way that wasn't mean at all, "Let's do this, together," said Maria Stockton, and she got into the cab of Katrina. She was ready for another go at the boulder. Molly Mulligan and Leigh-Ann dug around the boulder as they said they would, and the boulder came loose.

Molly Mulligan and Lana were on the right side of the boulder. Maria Stockton and Katrina were on the left, "Together now, LIFT!" said Molly Mulligan,

Lana lifted the boulder on the right with her bucket. Katrina lifted the boulder on the left with all the strength she had. When the boulder was lifted out of the cellar, it crashed with a thunderous roar. The ground shook beneath the feet of the people watching. Molly Mulligan and Maria Stockton faced each other as did Lana and Katrina.

"Thank you, from both of us," said Molly Mulligan, Lana nodded her bucket to Maria Stockton, and helped pull her out of the cellar

"I'm sorry we acted they way we did to you," said Maria Stockton and looked at the cellar. It was neat and clean, perfectly square on all sides,

"You know something, you don't need money to be happy," Molly Mulligan said to Maria Stockton as she was leaving with Katrina, "all you need is a friend, and I am your friend now, Maria Stockton," in the end, Molly Mulligan and Maria Stockton started off working against each other, but when they worked together, they became good friends.

 **The End**


End file.
